Hydroaeroplane.



W. S. HART.

HYDROAEROPLANE. APPLICATION FlL-ED APR- 6. ms.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. S. HART. H YDROAEROPLANE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1915- PatentedDec. 28, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WILLIAM S. HART, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:

HYDROAEROPLANE.

Speeification'of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

Application filed April 6, 1915. Serial No. 19,451.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. HART, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at 'Washington, in the District of Columbia, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Hydroaeroplanes, of which thefollowing is a, specification.

The present invention relates to a hydroaeroplane, that is moreparticularly a vehicle that can be propelled through the air, upon theground, upon the water and partially submerged, one object of theinvention being the provision of a novel form of warcraft, which isprovided with swingingly mounted planes, so that the same may becollapsed or closed during the partial 'submergence of the vehicle, andwhich can be readily extended when it is desired to take to flight.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a vehicle of thischaracter which can be readily-controlled by an occupant or occupants tocause the same to be propelled in the various ways above enumerated, itbein also intended that the vehicle be operate as a hydroplane, when itwill not be necessary to partially submerge.

With the foregoing and other objects in view and which will be apparentas the description proceeds, the present invention resides in thedetails as set forth, and as more particularly claimed, many changes inconstruction, however, being possible within the scope of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:-Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional viewthrough the complete hydro-aeroplane. Fig. 2 is a front elevationthereof. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the hydro-aeroplane with theplanes extended. Fig. 4 is a similar view with the planes collapsed orwithdrawn. Fig. 5'

is a section taken on line 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail sectionalview of the steerlng and control mechanism. Figs. 7 and 8 are detailviews of the clutch. Fig. 9 is a view illustrating a modified form ofplane mounting and operating means.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates the envelop orbuoyant body, which is preferably made fish-shaped, and is constructedof a light metal, as aluminum, or infact any material that may besuitable. The same is divided into any number of compartments 11, someof which are for machinery, such as the explosive engine 12, electricmotor 13, and fuel battery containers 14:, and ballasts, these beingarranged in the most convenient places for permitting the necessary evenbalancing of the body 10 under all conditions of travel.

The opening 15 is'controlled by the door 16, so that the occupantsmayhave access to and be permitted to be released, while the chamber 17 isprovided at the forward underside for releasing bombs, and is closed bythe lower door 18 and the upper door 1.9, both of which make the bodywater-tight when closed. The body 10,- has a normal buoyant capacitysufficient to establish a certain displacement and maintain the bodysubmerged in water to a degree substantially half the depth of saidbody.

At the forward end of the body is the torpedo tube 20, of usualconstruction, which is forwardly and upwardly inclined fromsubstantially the normal water line of the body 10, while journaledthrough the nose of the body is the shaft 21, for driving the pullingair propeller 22, which when the tube 20 is, being used is moved out ofthe path of the outlet of the tube, so that the disclzharged torpedowill not strike the proe er. p The inner end of the shaft 21 isconnected through the clutch 23 to the engine 12 or the electric motor18, this control as will later appear being under the supervision of theoperator, who sits upon the seat 24 in the compartment 25, and canobserve the surroundings through'the observation window 26 when the bodyis being propelled in the atmosphere, or through the periscope '27, whenthe body is partially submerged.

At the rear exterior of the body 10 are attached the guiding planes 28and the elevating planes 29, while depending therefrom and supported bythe framework 30, are the floats 31, which are similar in constructionto the hydroplane floats now in general use. These floats 31, serve tolift the tail end of the body 10, and maintain the bow downwardly whilethe planes29, serve to resist the lifting action of the water in theadvance of the body therethrough to sustain said body submerged to thenormal depth.

' ployed to propel the body as a hydroplane or aeroplane. The balancingplanes are also provided upon the tail end of thebody 10.

a Two parallel plates or supports 36 and 37 are attached to theunderside and top of the body 10 near the nose or forward end thereof,and carry the spacing and journaling members 38, in each one of which isjournaled the shaft 39, which carries each a wing plane 40, which ispreferably concave-convex in cross-section. The various sets 41 ofbraces or stays are provided for insuring the proper positioning of thew planes 40, and for also strengthening them under the variousconditions to which they are subjected. The shafts 39 are the axes uponwhich these planes swing to assume the positions as shown in Figs. 3 and4, this as operation being accomplished through the instrumentalities ofthe flexible connections 42, which are led rearwardly through thestuffing boxes 43 into the interior of the body 10. These connections 42are held as taut at all times by meansof the spool or spools 43, whichare fixed upon the tubular shaft 44, controlled by the wheel 45, inready access to the operator. Fitting telescopically within the shaft 44is a longer shaft 46, operated by the wheel 47 while upon its lower endis the oppositely extending arms 48, to which the rudder controllingcables are attached. The shaft 49 provided with the operating wheel 50has upon at) its lower. ends the two oppositely extended arms 51 towhich is attached the cables for controlling the elevators, thus makingit possible for the operator to actuate the shafts 44 and 46 and theshaft 49 while in a as seated position.

In the construction as shown in Fig. 9, the planes 40, are operatedthrough a gear mechanism, instead of cables, the reduced inner edges ofthe planesbeing provided so with gear teeth 52, which through theintermediate small gears 53 are operated by the drive gear 54, carriedupon the outer end' of the drive shaft 55, which is operable from withinthe body 10.

A shaft 56, carrying a water propeller 57 is mounted inclinedly throughthe underside of the tail of the body 10, and through the clutch 58 andthe gears 59, receive motion from the engine 12 or the electric motor13,

so this being, as are also the other two clutches, controlled throughthe levers 60. Wheels 61 are also provided to assist in supporting thehydro-aeroplane upon land, as when alighting, at rest, or beginning aflight from 65 land.

clude the fixed clutch member 61, the slidable splined clutch member 62and the oper-' ating lever 63,.the opposed faces of the members beingsuch as to readily engage and disengage, and when engaged make a ri 1dconnecti0n between the members. his invention is'designed for use withrapid fire guns of small caliber and also torpedoes. I

This hydro-aeroplane is intended to be submerged slightly below thewaters surface when in motion, and to besuificiently buoyant to floatupon the surface when at rest, or gliding slowly. It is also to beprovided with water ballast, of the submarine type, so that the buoyancymay be regulated, as desired andthe water expelled entirely before takento flight in the air.

When the device is used only as ahydroplane or aeroplane, the periscope,water ballast and the water propeller are not provided.

There is also mounted in the body 10 an air compressor 64 which suppliesair to the tanks or reservoirs 65, these being used when the device isconstructed for submarine work.

What I claim as new is 1. A hydro-aeroplane comprising a buoyant cigarshaped body having a normal buoyant capacity sufficient to establish acertain displacement and maintain the body submerged in water to adegree substantially half the depth thereof, a torpedo discharge tubearranged at the bow of the body and inclined forwardly and upwardly fromsubstantially the normal water line of the body, floats depending fromthe spaced relative to the tail end of the body and acting ashydroplanes to lift said tail end and maintain the bow end downwardly,and horizontally dis-- posed vertically adjustable planes exteriorly ofthe body and serving to resist the lifting action of the water in theadvance of said body therethrough to sustain the body submerged to thenormal depth.

2. A hydro-aeroplane comprising a buoyant cigar shaped body having anormal 11" buoyant capacity sufficient to establish a certaindisplacement and maintain the body submerged in water to a degreesubstantially half the depth thereof, a torpedo discharge tube arrangedat the bow of the body and in- 12 clined forwardly and upwardly fromsub-' "stantially the normal water line of the body, floats dependingfrom and spaced relative to the tail end of the body and actingashydroplanes to lift said tail end and mamtainthe 12 how end downwardly,horizontally disposed -vertically adjustable planes exteriorly of thebody and serving to resist the lifting action of the water in theadvance of said body therethrough to sustain the body submerged 11 tothe normal depth, vertically and horizon- In testimony whereof I aflixmy signature tally arranged balancing planes on said body in presence oftwo witnesses. rearwardly of the first named planes, ad- WILLIAM S.HART. justable wing planes on the body, and pro- Witnesses:

5 peller means fore and aft of the body for VICTOR M. BRIAN,

driving the same through air and water. GEO. S. MARSHALL.

